Which chain lube should I use?

metmanmark

About to get my new road (audax) bike through the cycle scheme. I have Rock N Roll lube on the chain of my hybrid for the last few years as it was recommended by colleagues at work. I have never been totally convinced by it though (I should say that this has lasted yonks and I have never tried anything else).
What would you recommend? I do 22 miles a day along country roads to work so it will get dusty & wet rather than muddy.
Cheers
Mark

rdt

I'm sure a whole bunch of products would do an adequate job, from gt85 and 3-in-1 thru to Rock N Roll.

But, for a quality lube, ProGold 's Prolink seems hard to beat. It's a bit like Rock N Roll, in that you clean & lube with it, wiping most off, stopping your chain becoming a gunky cr@p magnet.

There was a site, www.forceprolink.com which sold great vats of it for relative peanuts, but it sadly seems to have disappeared now. They sold / gave away a needle-like applicator for the Prolink, which ensured you didn't waste any applying it, making it very economical to use. Unlike the Rock N Roll, where you could use several gallons lubing your chain just the once.

sam_m

Had no problem with Green Oil so far.

kettrinboy

Morgan Blue synthetic lube from Wiggle does a good job wet or dry and a 400ml can lasts for years

MattC59

You'll get hundreds of recomendations to this, depending on personal preference. Just to muddy the water, mine are:

Summer - Finish Line Krytech Wax Lube.
Winter - Finish Line Cross Country.

Both are superb and I've been using them for years.

Just don't use WD40 or rely on the packing grease that comes with a new chain.
(And wait for the responses about the above !!)

Matt

lae

Gearbox oil from a motor factor - 5 quid for a litre bottle and it doesn't pick up loads of dirt like some cycle-specific lubes I've tried. It's useful for all sorts of general lubrication.

I think cleaning and lubing regularly is probably more important than what kind of lube you use.

topdude

+1 for gear oil, nice and thick, stays in chain unlike thin oils which splatter all over the back wheel. Clean chain with a cloth soaked in WD40, apply oil to each link, wipe off excess, easy

James_London

Prolink is the best I've found though it's thin and requires frequent applications. It's very clean an noticeably reduces drivetrain friction.

And as others have said, cleaning your chain frequently is as important as your choice of lube. Oh, and the grease that comes on a new chain is great. I ride for 200km before using lube on a new chain.

Andrew N

I've used Green Oil, Finish Line and TF2 and been happy with them all...

stug1522

I swear by Purple Extreme. And I degrease and relube about 3 times a year at most :oops:

matsegers

Someone already mentioned WD40 and to NOT use it.
I can't imagine why not. Contrary to some urban myth; it is not silicon based. WD40 does however do 5 things pretty well:
1. CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean.
2. DISPLACES MOISTURE: I think this one is a no-brainer. Last thing you want is moisture sitting on the chain or other moving parts for that matter.
3. PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds. Hopefully your chain isn't at that point, but we all know how fast rust color appears on a chain.
4. LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and tenaciously held to all moving parts; that's the part I actually think it is least good at.
5. PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.

I think WD40 is prefectly fine and I know plenty of mechanics who use a lot of it. I tend to clean with WD40 and then add a thing layer of other lubricant, but I think I only do that from paranoia that there may be some truth to the anti-WD40 arguments. Most times you don't get many arguments though, mostly a statement not to sue under any circumstance. I can't imagine why not. Everything's been working just fine when using it.

father_jack

I'd only use WD40 (or GT85) to clean a chain. I use GT85 on rear cassette and brake inners.

Not Another Hill

GT85 for cleaning chain, cassette etc and Progold's Prolink for lubing chain. Like everyone else I've used stacks of different lubes over the years and find Prolink the least gunky

MattC59

matsegers wrote:

Someone already mentioned WD40 and to NOT use it.
I can't imagine why not. Contrary to some urban myth; it is not silicon based. WD40 does however do 5 things pretty well:
1. CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean.
2. DISPLACES MOISTURE: I think this one is a no-brainer. Last thing you want is moisture sitting on the chain or other moving parts for that matter.
3. PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds. Hopefully your chain isn't at that point, but we all know how fast rust color appears on a chain.
4. LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and tenaciously held to all moving parts; that's the part I actually think it is least good at.
5. PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.

I think WD40 is prefectly fine and I know plenty of mechanics who use a lot of it. I tend to clean with WD40 and then add a thing layer of other lubricant, but I think I only do that from paranoia that there may be some truth to the anti-WD40 arguments. Most times you don't get many arguments though, mostly a statement not to sue under any circumstance. I can't imagine why not. Everything's been working just fine when using it.

I'd agree with the 5 points above, but although it does have lubricating properties, they aren't up to the the requirements of a bike chain. Here's a quote from an older post of mine:

"The grease which a new chain is covered in is packing grease. Whilst it does have some lubricating properties, it's thick and sticky, so will attract dirt and, because it's thick, will add resistance to the chain. It is not intended as a lubricant, it's just cheap stuff that the manufacturer puts on the chain to prevent corrosion. It's far too heavy as a cycle chain lube. If it is such a good lubricant, why isn't it available in the shops ?

WD40......... oooh, now here's a contentious subject.........

WD40 is a light penetrating lubricant. It also contains carrier solvents. Spray some into your hand and you'll notice two things.
1) It's very thin.
2) it feels cold.
It's thin so that it can penetrate into threads (removing siezed/tight bolts) or into nooks and crannies such as your chain. However, being thin, it's resistance to shear loading is minimal, so on a chain, it will essentially be squeezed out of the contact points between the sprockets / chain rings and the chain, or from inside the rollers. (Think of squeezing water out of a plastic bottle and treakle out of an identical bottle, the thinner one comes out easiest.)
It feels cold, because that is the carrier, a solvent in most light lubes, evaporating. And no, I'm not talking about the propellant evaporating. This solvent helps the oil in it's penetrating duties, but, in the short time that it's there, will slightly break down any heavier oils already on your chain. This is why WD40 is good for cleaning chains, it essentially thins the oil already there.

So, whilst WD40 is a lubricant, it's too thin to give good lubrication for an extended period of time.

Having said that.............. if you're cycling short distances and re-lube regularly (after every ride), WD40 will give you some lubrication and will protect against corrosion. "

lae

James_London wrote:

Prolink is the best I've found though it's thin and requires frequent applications. It's very clean an noticeably reduces drivetrain friction.

A clean dry chain is just as efficient as a clean lubed one*. The only thing lube does a)prevent wear b)prevent rust. I suspect any feeling of decreased friction comes from flushing out grit or gummy old oil.

* 'Bicycling Science' 3rd Edition by David Gordon Wilson

James_London

frinkmakesyouthink wrote:

James_London wrote:

Prolink is the best I've found though it's thin and requires frequent applications. It's very clean an noticeably reduces drivetrain friction.

A clean dry chain is just as efficient as a clean lubed one*. The only thing lube does a)prevent wear b)prevent rust. I suspect any feeling of decreased friction comes from flushing out grit or gummy old oil.

* 'Bicycling Science' 3rd Edition by David Gordon Wilson

You're right. The reduction in friction is likely because of (b). It is still a reduction in friction. Keeping a chain clean and dry at all times is not practical, hence oil!

James_London

frinkmakesyouthink wrote:

James_London wrote:

Prolink is the best I've found though it's thin and requires frequent applications. It's very clean an noticeably reduces drivetrain friction.

A clean dry chain is just as efficient as a clean lubed one*. The only thing lube does a)prevent wear b)prevent rust. I suspect any feeling of decreased friction comes from flushing out grit or gummy old oil.

* 'Bicycling Science' 3rd Edition by David Gordon Wilson

You're right. The reduction in friction is likely because of (b). It is still a reduction in friction. Keeping a chain clean and dry at all times is not practical, hence oil!

James_London

Ignore

father_jack

I don't believe that marketing from above link, spray a chain and hey presto it looks brand new. lol. should be on QVC..